You Learn Something New Everyday!

[jspell]

This forum is a great place to learn and...vent!  I finally have a chassis and engine builder I can trust and they stick to their word.  So guess what, I got stuck by the paint & body guy.  He calls me the other day to inform me my panels are done all 8 of them for my shorty body FED.  I dropped them off Dec. 29th??? and I was quoted $50 / hr plus materials.  My father owned his own body shop, I've learned a little about paint work.  I figured any body guy worth his butt, can prep and paint these panels & scoop in 20 hrs. So I figured the bill would be between $1500 and $2000, wrong....he tells me I owe him $3700....which breaksdown to $1000 materials and $2700 labor.  Granted the color is a PPG special color and the panels are painted on both sides.  He said the buffing took a long time...give me a break.  Comments please...you can make me feel better or worse..I can take it.  P.S. - this is why I gave up racing 20 years ago, I see some things never change !!!!!!!!!!

[coupemerc]

Post some pictures! I ended up going with Nub Grafix on mine. My paint cost was a little less but in that range. It has candies, flake, gold leaf, airbrush work and pinstriping.

[JeffV8]

Nub does great work from what I saw on OCC show

[jspell]

I'll post pics soon...CoupeMerc, all I got was one color, no striping or air brushing or even two tone..crazy

[coupemerc]

Nub does great work from what I saw on OCC show

Yeah, Nub does some insane stuff. I picked him because he did such a cool job on Brian Darcy's  "Lethal Injection" dragster and he knows the tricks to keep paint on magnesium panels. Great guy to work with too.

[coupemerc]

I'll post pics soon...CoupeMerc, all I got was one color, no striping or air brushing or even two tone..crazy

I agree...Sounds high for a simple paint job.

[wideopen231]

So what was new thing learned? Always ask final price or at least a range?

Not that its new but I relearned this cpl months ago. I had small family run machine shop put 2 seats in heads,I bought seat. Dropped them off told him don't ask me why they are so big(od).His only comment yea little oversized. Wnt to pick heads up bill was 300 bucks.IMO very high for 2 seat installed.

IMO 2700 labor is high,but then you did ask for paint both sides and heck I am not paint and body guy.

[jspell]

All I need now is to have the paint fly off in the first burnout...............

[retroboy]

I just had a shorty body built. The guy has the gear and knows how to use it but fark ... he knew how it charge.  Rooman comes from the same area here in Australia and I knew him before he moved to the US. While I was struggling to shape it up myself he said in jest - " pay my air fare and I'll come down and do it for you". It would have been cheaper.

[dreracecar]

Live and learn-- Sorry.

  Always the best is to ask other racers "who did your paint and how much ?"

 I saw a nice paint job on a racers car, asked the owner the above question, gave me the guys number and as it turned out he painted them in his garage after work (truck driver) to help subsidize his racing. Now this was 20 years ago but I paid $750 for a multi colored paint job - everything including cowel art, striping and lettering. Was the paint Pebble Beach perfect--NO, there were some flaws and misteps along the way, but not enough to worry about because even in a drag race enviorment, these cars get beat-up.

[jspell]

I hear ya'' Bruce...I told the guy he can't be slow (4 months) and expensive....

[wideopen231]

ALWAYS ASK PRICE. Always tell them if there are extras to call you first. if nothing else it gives room for arguement.

[masracingtd1167]

A person told me once that if you have to ask for a price you can't afford it ! That was the dumbest advice I ever heard !

[jspell]

Picked up my body panels and had a persuading conversation with the painter...was able to reduce the bill by $700.  Every little bit helps...

[GlennLever]

A person told me once that if you have to ask for a price you can't afford it ! That was the dumbest advice I ever heard !

Yep, always get a price first.